It's happened. The most popular writer on the planet famous for the Harry Potter series has come out with a novel very different from her usual work.
The Casual Vacancy is causing a media storm that is not going to let up soon. A million copies have been sold at the time of this blog post and it hasn't hit the stores thanks to pre-orders.
Because of Mrs. Rowling's celebrity, many people are waiting to see if she, who's famous for witches and wizards, can write a novel geared towards adults.
The haters (and I hate that word) have their fangs showing and they're ready to tear her novel to pieces if she can't stand up to the critics. Surely any work should stand on its own merit but there will be those that are already naysayers and the book isn't even available in the stores yet.
I've already heard from several other writers that they don't believe that a writer has the ability to switch genres like Mrs. Rowling has braved to do.
To them I say it is pure utter nonsense. Most agents and publishers admonish writers, telling them to write what you know and then stick to it!
It is utter nonsense that it's impossible to switch genres for good storytellers. I use the word storyteller because I believe the two are very separate. It's one thing to use proper English and grammar, delivering four hundred pages to an editor ready to publish.
Storytelling goes back to ancient times. It's the oldest form of entertainment. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors sat around a fairly new invention to keep themselves warm as the storytellers would make up stories to explain their way of life. You can teach someone to write. You can show them the rules of grammar. You can show them how to create the perfect sentence.
But you can't teach someone how to tell the perfect story.
I've always envied songwriters as well for they tell stories in a shorter version. I've always dreamed of becoming a writer when I was a young girl and that's where I am today.
Real storytellers can tell a story in any genre and keep an audience mesmerized. If Mrs. Rowling was able to do that with Harry Potter and keep a couple of billion children entertained, I'm sure she won't let the adult fans of her work down.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
My Birthday Gift To You!
Thank you so much for your support!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)